Not long after, Zhang Ze'an came to the door and Heicha let him in directly.
Mu Lin was sitting at the table, reading the local chronicles of the Southern Region. He looked up and saw the visitor. He nodded without surprise: "City Lord Zhang, please take a seat."
"Miss Mu should know why Zhang is here. You and Young Master Xiao always go out together. Now the two brothers are missing. I hope you can tell me their whereabouts."
Zhang Ze'an was also annoyed by Ni Ke. He learned from the innkeeper that the two of them had entered the inn together in the morning. After thinking about it, he sent Ni Ke away and came directly to inquire.
"As City Lord Zhang saw, I have been staying here to rest. I don't know where he went."
Zhang Ze'an didn't believe a word of it. He raised his eyelids and smiled faintly, "Miss Mu, don't you know? He is your fiancé."
"We haven't seen each other for twelve years, but we chatted for a few minutes. Is Mr. Zhang interested?"
"Mr. Xiao was with the princess last night. Miss Mu wouldn't have known about this, right?"
"… "
Mu Lin, who had been with Xiao Muyun all night, said calmly, "I believe he is a polite person."
"Then Miss Mu may be disappointed. Young Master Xiao was with the princess all night, and the princess couldn't find Young Master Xiao this morning, so Zhang came to ask."
"...Really?" Mu Lin frowned.
"Zhang never tells lies."
"… "
Bullshit, politicians' mouths are lies.
Mu Lin asked tentatively: "Did the princess drink last night? Could it be that she got drunk and recognized the wrong person?"
"Impossible, Zhang personally sent someone to invite Master Xiao."
"… That's not bad." Looking at Zhang Ze'an's confident expression, Mu Lin almost believed it.
There was a hint of mischief in his eyes, and he mistook Xiao Muran for Xiao Muyun. I wonder which guard has such good eyesight.
Mu Lin said sincerely: "I did meet Mr. Xiao this morning. He invited me to sit here, and then I got a room here and took a nap at noon. I don't know when he left."
"When the princess came, was Miss Mu here?"
Mu Lin heard the hidden meaning of Zhang Ze'an and asked her why she didn't go out to explain at that time.
Mu Lin's smile faded a little, and he chuckled and said, "The princess is disturbing my sweet dreams. I am not a citizen of the Southern Territory, so I have no obligation to cooperate with her. What's more, the princess is quite hostile to me, so why should I go up to her and ask for trouble?"
This made sense and Zhang Ze'an couldn't refute it.
But he still had to find the person who disappeared out of thin air. Mu Lin was the only clue, so he didn't give up and asked, "Miss Mu, do you really not know where he is?"
Zhang Ze'an stood up, looked down at the frail woman, and locked her eyes with an oppressive gaze.
This is a common method used to interrogate prisoners in prisons. Anyone with a slightly fragile mentality would probably collapse under his stare.
"I don't know." Mu Lin looked back calmly, still composed.
"Then Miss Mu must know the name of her fiancé, right?"
"Xiao Ergou."
"… "
Zhang Ze'an was short of breath, and the veins on his forehead were faintly popping out. He took a deep breath and said, "Miss Mu, I hope our conversation can be more sincere. Tell me what you know as soon as possible, so that I won't bother you with these trivial matters anymore."
"These are indeed unnecessary trivia. Since City Lord Zhang doesn't believe me, there is no point in me saying more. As for the purpose of my coming here, you should understand something."
"Well, let me tell City Lord Zhang another piece of news. Not long ago, General Dingyuan Song Wuyun submitted a memorial requesting to increase troops in the southern border, but Emperor Ming has not yet agreed."
Zhang Ze'an really had no time to care about Xiao Muyun's whereabouts. He frowned and said, "Although Song Wuyun is only a fifth-rank military officer, he is Zhang Lu's subordinate..."
Mu Lin smiled and continued, "Or maybe he is his confidant." Song Wuyun's memorial would definitely not contradict Zhang Lu's opinion. If Zhang Lu insisted on his political views, Emperor Jingming would agree sooner or later, unless he wanted to change the prime minister.
The two empires entrenched in the north were, of course, the biggest concern for the South. Because of the political changes in these years, they were not peaceful, there were internal strife and no time to deal with the outside world, so the South had a chance to breathe.
Zhang Zean understood all of this very well, and he even thought about it for a long time every day. Mu Lin brought a signal that the Southern Region was about to fall into chaos. The King of the Southern Region was strong and straightforward, and perhaps he didn't understand enough, so as a counselor, he had to be cautious.
Mu Lin did not interrupt his thoughts. He poured two cups of tea and drank two sips slowly.
"I want to pay my respects to the King of the Southern Territory. Please let City Lord Zhang pass on the message for me. In fact, the purpose of my trip has been basically achieved. If His Majesty is too busy, I understand and will leave as soon as possible."
"How could that be? This is not in line with the hospitality of the palace. As long as Miss Mu sends a visiting card, I believe the prince will be happy to meet you."
Mu Lin glanced at Linglan, and Linglan stepped forward and handed the visiting card that had been prepared long ago to Zhang Zean.
It turned out that she had prepared everything. Zhang Ze'an said goodbye to Mu Lin with a smile.
Before leaving, I heard Mu Lin say faintly: "The Mu Mansion has expressed the greatest sincerity. I hope that the hospitality of the Southern Region will be worthy of the sincerity of the Mu Mansion."
"No one will disturb Miss Mu's peace again."
Zhang Ze'an quickened his pace as he was going outside to deal with Princess Ni Ke who was becoming increasingly noisy.
It's really worrying...
In the future, he should educate his daughter to be gentle and virtuous like the women from the Central Plains...
Zhang Ze'an took great pains to calm Ni Ke down, and when the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, he rushed to the palace to discuss business with the King of the Southern Territory.
Just then, the King of the Southern Region also sent back news that Zhang Lu replaced Mu Ruzhi as the new prime minister of Jingsheng. After hearing the news, Zhang Ze'an put the visiting card on the desk and told him all the news he heard from Mu Lin and his own guesses.
The next morning, Mu Lin was invited to the Southern Region Palace. Everyone was not amazed by the girl's beauty and youth, but was impressed by her political performance. Apart from her awkwardness and immaturity, she was more like a politician who was calm in the face of adversity.
The King of the Southern Region and his staff were all impressed by the fact that the Mu Mansion was full of talented people and that they were able to raise a 14 or 15-year-old child so well. If she were a girl, her future would be limitless.
Only Zhang Ze'an, who had dealt with Mu Lin many times, frowned slightly. He saw something deeper and more extraordinary in this young girl who was just beginning to show her brilliance.
Before leaving, Mu Lin quietly left something behind.
In just four or five days, things that should have succeeded succeeded, and things that should not have failed also failed. Naturally, Mu Lin had to set off to return to Jingsheng.
The King of the Southern Territory sent his youngest son Kuza'an to escort her back. Mu Lin accepted the kindness of the palace frankly and expressed her gratitude to the King of the Southern Territory.
It was just that this handsome 15-year-old boy always looked at her carriage, which made Mu Lin a little confused. It was not until a crystal clear four-color iris flower unexpectedly appeared on her carriage for the second time, and she opened the curtain and looked into the boy's hopeful eyes, that she finally understood what he meant.
He has a crush on her.
Mu Lin returned the flower, and Kuzaan's eyes dimmed. During the break, he came over carefully holding the Imi flower and told Mu Lin its story in unstandard Chinese.
"The Yimi flower grows in the Gobi Desert and blooms once every ten years. It is a very unique flower, each with four petals, one petal for each color, red, yellow, blue, and white, very beautiful. Unfortunately, the Yimi flower does not bloom for long, it will wither in just two days, and blooming means the end of its life."
"The yimi flower represents 'the beauty of a moment' and 'the occurrence of miracles' in the desert, and embodies the indomitable spirit. Miss Mu, I believe that sooner or later, the yimi flower and I will be able to touch your heart together."
"Thank you for your kindness, Kuzaan." Mu Lin couldn't help but smile. It was hard for her to feel bad about this straightforward and sunny boy. She even had some admiration for him.
"But I already have a lover. I'm sorry. I won't fall in love with another man." Mu Lin refused very directly.
She didn't like the dry and hot Southern Region very much, but she liked the sunny and vibrant character that this land and water gave to the people. For example, Kuzaan was simple and bright. Who wouldn't like to make friends with such a person
Unfortunately, Kuzaan is Jiang Ze's son, and they are destined to be on opposite sides. Mu Lin felt a little regretful.
Kuzaan is a boy with determination. He often comes to Mu Lin to show off, hoping to impress Mu Lin at some point.
Mu Lin had been calculating the time, and when she saw the ancient and old green walls of Jingsheng Border, she finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and felt that the dust had settled.
Kuzaan was very reluctant to see her leave, and in desperation he confessed his love for her again, and even expressed his desire to marry her. Mu Lin smiled and rejected him without hesitation.
The young man doesn't need to waste his time on her, he will always find the unique Imi flower that belongs only to him.
Kuzaan went back disappointed, and for a long time afterwards, he could not forget the gorgeous woman in white, for which he was disliked and attacked by his half-sister Ni Ke.
In any case, Mu Lin and she both like gentle and elegant gentlemen, not the warm and simple poplar trees in the desert.
Xiao Lang's whereabouts are still a mystery, and he only left her a beautiful jade pendant as a keepsake. She held it in her hand every day to draw strength, convincing herself that Xiao Lang did not elope with Mu Lin after all, and maybe he had something urgent and didn't even have time to say goodbye. The grievance and anxiety in her heart dissipated a lot, and she was worried about other things.
Whenever she thought of the charming and lingering night, and the awkwardness and emotions of her transformation from a girl to a woman, she felt a deeper and stronger support for this relationship.
It was not until Ni Ke started to feel unwell all day that she asked a doctor to take her pulse. The doctor was surprised and congratulated her, saying that she was pregnant.
Ni Ke had no time to be frightened or surprised by the arrival of the child, as a piece of bad news exploded in her ears - her father fell off his horse while hunting and has been in a coma ever since!
The men of the eldest and third brothers stopped her and her mother outside the courtyard, not allowing them to visit them, and even confined her to her own courtyard while she was pregnant.
Being pregnant before marriage is not a glorious thing in the open South Region. Her father did not care about it and allowed her to get the man she loved. With the death of her father, everything was attributed to her own shamelessness. The little princess was pointed at by thousands of people, and her growing belly was the ironclad evidence of her crime. No one could prove her guilt...
With the princess' "accidental death" and her brothers busy fighting for power, Ni Ke fell into the darkest and most painful period since her birth.